


THE STREAM

by StoriesAndMagic



Category: taekook - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Drama & Romance, Friendship, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoriesAndMagic/pseuds/StoriesAndMagic
Summary: It's a dark fantasy romance totally based on the greatness that is the MV of On.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Every once in a while the Lords let out the birds, for no reason, just to torment them and purge the weakest. They flew around the Fortress, attacked them and killed the old and ill. Nobody tried to fight, it gave no results, they all ran and hide. Only Jin, sometimes, if he was lucky managed to catch one of those devil’s feathered creatures and strangle it. He got punished a couple of times, but he didn’t care: his hate for the Lords and their evil creations was stronger and kept him alive.

Taehyung had been born in the Fortress, he didn’t know anything about the outside world. His parents were captured when he was in his mother’s womb, she had died when giving birth and his father passed away years later from the heartbreak. Jin had adopted him as his little brother and he protected him at all costs.  
Jungkook had arrived with a group of prisoners when he was 12 years old. The Lords had destroyed his village, killed his family, stolen their harvest and farm animals and enslave the survivors. He was now a young man with a mission. Before being aprehended by the Lords, in front of his burning house, a moribund elder took his hand.  
Those words had haunted him since then. As he grew up and experienced the hardships and injustices in the Fortress, he knew he was destined to look for the thing that would end all the suffering.

Jungkook met Tae and Jin when he became a member of the Fortress. They started a friendship that, with Jungkook and Taehyung, blossomed into love. The two boys were inseparable until one fateful day.

The attack of the birds had been devastating, the corpses were lying on the dry soil that surrounded the Fortress, they were left there to rot. Jin ran towards his friend with something in his hands and an arm raised in celebration. He showed the dead bird.  
\- One less. – He said.  
\- If they found out, they will punish you again. – Tae replied.   
\- I don’t mind. – Jin threw the bird to the stone floor. It was cold and humid inside the Fortress. People ended up getting sick either by human diseases or magical ones. If they didn’t die naturally, the birds would kill them.  
Tae was shaking, he was scared. He held Jin’s hand and exposed his neck to him, he had covered with a scarf. In the white skin, black lines had started to appear. Jin gasped.  
\- Jungkook doesn’t know. – Tae said.  
\- Is it the black curse? – Jin asked. Tae nodded.  
The infection was caused by the black magic of the Lords. It paralised its victims completely or the part of the body it affected until death. In Tae’s case, he would start losing his voice and would finish with suffocation.  
Jin kicked the termite ridden table in their room. It broke in two. Jin picked a piece of the wood and branded it in the air.  
\- I’m going to crush them all! – He shouted out.  
Jungkook entered in the room.  
\- I have a way. – He announced.  
He smiled when he saw Taehyung’s eyes on him, he walked to him and kissed him on the forehead. The boy had covered his neck again.  
\- I’m going to get out of here and look for the stream.  
Jin snickered.  
\- How? It probably doesn’t even exist.  
Tae hugged him.  
\- Don’t. – He whispered. Jungkook kissed his lips softly.  
\- We need freedom. I refuse to end my days here. I want to love you outside, under the moon and the sun.  
Jungkook had told them a long ago what happened to his village and how he was destined to save them all. Jin had mocked him: there was no salvation from the Fortress, only survival.   
\- You don’t know what a tree is, you don’t know what the sea is. – Jungkook continued speaking to Tae – I want you to see it, to touch it, to feel it.  
Taehyung held to him tight. He was afraid to lose him, especially now that he was under the black curse.  
\- I’m sick. – He finally confessed.  
Jin stared at him with concern. Jungkook disentangled himself from the arms of the boy. Tae showed him his neck. Jungkook fell on his knees. The pain was unbearable.  
\- Please don’t leave me. – Tae begged.  
Jungkook stood up on his feet again, blinked back tears and then kissed him passionately. When they parted, he smiled at the boy.  
\- I’ll be back and I’ll take you outside with me. This is only the beginning.  
Jungkook gave a thumbs up to Jin and stormed out of the room. Jin promised Tae he was going to take care of him as he had always done.

The stench of rotting flesh was percetible in the air, some crows were feeding off of the corpses while the sun was hitting hard on Jungkook’s face.  
\- Why don’t you come here, cowards? – He shouted out – Bring your birds, your black curse, give it all to me! I can take it!  
Some women ran inside the Fortress when they saw him. Experienced men shook their heads and continued with what they were doing.  
\- Where are you, almighty Lords? I don’t fear you! – He was determined to scream until he had no voice anymore.  
A cloaked figure came to him and laughed.  
\- The brave Jeon Jungkook. – The figure said – Are you trying to turn yourself into a martyr?  
Jungkook approached it and spat in its direction. The figure laughed even louder.  
Tae could hear the thundering sound and Jungkook yelling from the room. He ran to the entrance to beg his lover not to risk his life this way, but was stopped by a little hand. Tae looked down to find a little blind girl shaking her head.  
\- Let him go. He knows what he’s doing. – She said.  
Tae held the girl’s hand and watched the events unfolding in front of the wall of the Fortress.

The cloaked figure, fed up with his shenanigans, tied Jungkook’s wrists with the thorn cuff curse. The thorn cuff would grip his wrists tighter every passing hour until it would stab them and make him bleed to death. The figure also decided to thrown him out into the wild.  
\- That will teach you a lesson. The smell of your blood will attract the savage animals. This is how you wish to die, brave Jeon Jungkook? – It spoke with its otherworldly voice.  
Taehyung feel like fainting, he looked with despair at Jin who had joined him at the entrance. His friend was tightening his lips in anger. Then, the boy looked down at the little girl, she was smirking.  
\- See? He’s out. He’ll bring salvation. – She said before going back within the cold stonewalls.


	2. Chapter 2

Small droplets of blood were falling to the ground, leaving a path behind him. Jungkook could feel the thorns of the cuff biting his flesh, but he kept running. The sun was blinding him, he couldn’t see far beyond, he didn’t know where he was going, his heart pounded in his chest, his head was filled with screeching sounds. He was afraid of the wild animals, he was afraid of fainting due to dehydration, but he kept running. The droplets became of a bigger size as the cuff tightened its grip on his wrists. His knees buckled and he finally fell on the grass. He smiled when he saw the green around him, when he smelled the rain in the soil, when he noticed a big tree standing near him. Jungkook started to feel sleepy, he had no strength left, he knew that in a couple of hours, the thorns would puncture his veins and he would perish. He envisaged Tae’s grin, the black curls of his bangs falling over his eyes, he envisaged running his fingers through Tae’s hair, touching his lips.  
\- I can’t fail him. – He whispered. – I won’t live if I lose him.  
Jungkook’s eyes closed for a moment. When he opened them again, he found himself laying on a different field: the grass was green and fresh, but the trees were gone. A young man was sitting cross-legged by his side.  
\- Congratulations. You just woke up in the thin red line that separates this life from the other life. – He said.  
Jungkook was feeling light-headed, there was no pain in his wrists and no blood anywhere. He looked at the strange young man and was about to ask when he spoke again:  
\- You’re supposed to die, but you won’t. There’s that golden thread called love that connects your soul to another soul. And there’s a prophecy to be fullfilled. So I won’t take you with me.  
Jungkook got up, the thorn cuff was gone.  
\- I need to find a stream.  
The young man snickered.  
\- I’m just a Juhseung Saja, I’m not helping you in your quest.  
Jungkook was about to protest when he woke up with a gasp. He was back in the field he had tumbled on, the big tree guarding him, the pain still piercing his wrists. He felt nausea and vomited, but he managed to stand up to continue running.

The quieteness in the Fortress frightened Taehyung and made Jin nervous. All the slaves kept working for the Lords, kept getting sick and dying. Nothing had changed and nothing was going to change.  
\- He’ll be back. – Jin said.  
Tae nodded. He checked his neck on the mirror in the room: the black curse was spreading to his shoulder.  
\- I only wish he were here the moment I’ll leave this world. I just want to look into his eyes one last time.  
Jin punched the wall.  
\- Don’t talk like that! Trust him.  
Tae sighed. He did trust him, he had faith.  
\- I don’t need to be outside. This is my life. I just need him by my side. – He told Jin.  
His friend shook his head.  
\- This isn’t life. This is survival. We deserve something better.  
Jin also had been captured when he was still a kid, after his parents and brothers were murdered for rebelling. Tae understood him the same way he understood Jungkook’s views. But Tae was a Fortress child, the outside world was a stranger, a territory he’d never wanted to explore.  
\- Yet, you are his life.   
The voice of the blind little girl resonated in the silence of the room. The two young men looked at her.  
\- He’s alive because of you. – She added before leaving.  
\- Do you think she can sense him? – Tae asked Jin.  
\- I think she’s a mind reader. – Jin replied.  
Taehyung started fidgeting, he was concerned. If the Lords found out, the girl would be used in their benefit or annihilated.  
Tae went out of the room and followed the little girl. When he reached her, he grabbed her gently by the shoulders and squatted in front of her.  
\- If you can speak to Jungkook, tell him…  
The girl raised her small hand towards Tae’s voice to quiet him.  
\- Tell him yourself – She said – He is listening.  
The boy blinked, the little girl resumed walking. Taehyung looked around, he was alone.  
\- Jungkook – He whispered to the grim, empty space in the Fortress corridor. Then, he felt it: that familiar voice not in his head but in his whole being “Tae, my love.”

The sun was setting, Jungkook was exhausted and lost. He stopped to catch his breath, the red stain on his white shirt was getting wider. The beauty of the place caught his eye: the golden rays of the afternoon sun were seeping through the folliage ot the numerous trees, a cooling breeze was blowing through his hair drying his sweat and tears, cicadas played their music. The young man laughed in relief, but fell to his knees when the pain in his wrist started to become unbearable. Then he heard it: the soothing sound of water and a voice “Jungkook”. He gathered all his strength, got up and stepped towards a barrier of reed. He moved the plants out of his way and saw it. The stream was flowing down from rocky, mossy hills into a small lake. Tears swelled up in the young man’s eyes when he answered to the voice:  
\- Tae, my love.


	3. Chapter 3

The sweet voice of his mother, the gentle tone of his father, the laughter of his friends in the village playing seek and hide with him. All those memories rushed to his brain the moment Jungkook put his feet in the cold water of the lake. He walked with difficulty towards its centre. Water up to his knees and then up to his thighs. His eyes gazing at the foam forming on the surface of the stream, at the droplets in the air like small diamonds. The setting sun projected a light spot on the lake, Jungkook saw something underwater. He submerged his cuffed hands in it to try and take it. The chilly liquid would help to slow the bleeding down. He picked the object up and observed it. It was a medium sized seashell. He looked around, he was lost again, he didn’t know what that meant or what to do with it. He felt thirsty so he drank water from it.  
Then he noticed the thorn cuff was gone as well as the blood and injuries. He felf like crying. He was going to bring slavation to Taehyung, he was going to bring salvation to all of them.

The defensive wall protecting the Fortress rattled, as if millions of drums were playing at the same time. The slaves inside feared another type of attack from the Lords and started running to hide. Jin grabbed Tae and pulled him out of the room:  
\- Let’s flee from here!  
The boy shook his head.  
\- It’s Jungkook, it’s him! – He said.  
He ran outside followed by the little blind girl who was also shouting: ‘it’s him, it’s him!’.  
But the rattling stopped and was substituted by the squealing of the birds.  
\- Another attack of these bastards! – Jin screamed – Go inside!  
None of them obeyed him. Tae took the girl’s hand and walked to the entrance of the defensice wall. A crack had formed there, Tae smiled:  
\- He’s going to open it.  
The birds hovered around them, but didn’t touch them. Jin hunted them with a bow and arrow he had fabricated. Tae felt calm, hopeful. He palpated his neck: the black curse was spreading up to his ear. He was going to lose hearing, but he wasn’t worried.  
\- Jungkook. – He whispered.  
The boy listened. The hot wind carried a familiar voice: ‘I’ll show you the rivers and the forest, Taehyung’.

Jungkook washed himself and his clothes in the lake. He picked an apple from one of the trees and proceeded to spend the night sitting against one of the wide trunks of the numerous oaks. Tears ran down his cheeks while he was watching the clear night sky full of stars. It have been more than ten years since the last time he had seen one.  
\- Tae, I’ll show you how beautiful a starry night is. – He spoke out loud – Like the colour of your eyes.  
He felt asleep thinking about those gentle, innocent eyes.

Suddenly, Jungkook woke up in a dessert with sparkling sand. Wild animals such as giraffes, elephants and lions were running around. He didn’t feel fear but a certain tranquility. That place wasn’t dangerous, that place was part of his quest.  
The figure of a young man formed on the air, he was mysterious and regal, like an emperor of ancient times.  
\- Jeon Jungkook, you’ve found the shell. You play it like a horn, the wall will open. You take it to the Fire Mountain and present it to the Lords and everything will be destroyed.  
The young man nodded.  
\- Will they be free? Will Taehyung be safe?  
\- They will. He will.  
The vision closed his eyes for a moment, but continued talking:  
\- But you won’t. You’ll perish in Fire Mountain. That’s the prophecy: the one destined to destroy the evilness of the Lords is the one who will burn there with them.  
Jungkook gulped. He thought about the slaves in the Fortress, about his family and fellow villagers, he thought about his friend Jin. They didn’t deserve any of that. Then, he thought about Tae’s eyes and how he wasn’t going to see them again, he thought about Tae’s lips and how he wasn’t going to kiss them again, he thought about Tae’s black curls and how he wasn’t going to be able to run his fingers through them again.  
The vision sensed his doubts:  
\- You can go back there as if nothing has happened. He’s cursed and he will die while your friend will continue suffering. Or you can fullfill the prophecy and he will live alongside your friend.  
Jungkook looked up at the marine blue sky.  
\- I need to see him one last time. – He said.  
The other man in the vision smiled.  
\- Go back to the Fortress, play the seashell and the wall will unlock. He’ll be waiting for you behind it. But remember: if you don’t bring the shell to Fire Mountain, nothing is going to change.

The chirping of little sparrows gathered around him woke him up. The sun had risen again and blinded him momentarily. Jungkook felt rested, strong, now he knew what his mission was. He got up, ate some fruits offered by the nature there and started to walk back towards the Fortress. He wasn’t going to tell the truth to Tae and Jin, he would get them out of that evil place and then invent something to leave them and fullfill his destiny.  
He wasn’t afraid, he only wanted to be with him one last time, keep him safe and die knowing how much he had loved and had been loved back.  
\- Taehyung, I’m coming back to you. – He said to the blue sky ahead of him.


	4. Chapter 4

The rattling of the wall woke them up at dawn. The slaves inside the Frotress gasped in terror. It was as if a hurricane and an earthquake at the same time was going to bring it all down. Tae opened his eyes and smiled, he could hear the faint sound of a horn and knew who was the one playing it. Jin came running and grabbed him off the bed.  
\- Where’s the girl? – He screamed. He was disturbed, scared. He feared they were all going to be crushed by the stones; that for some reason, the Lords had decided to anihilate them all.  
\- I have a place to hide. – He said to Taehyung. – Let’s go.  
The boy shook his head.  
\- He’s coming. – Tae replied.  
The ground started to move under their feet. Tae took Jin by the arm and pulled him outside. The cracks on the wall were getting larger. Until it opened. The golden rays of a warm sun reached Taehyung’s face, the boy fell on his knees.  
At the other side, Jungkook was standing with a seashell in his mouth. The sounds coming out of it were like those of a horn and they broke the rocks of the wall like a giant hammer.  
The blind girl ran past Tae to the other side of the wall through the small entrance that was getting bigger. She hugged Jungkook’s legs and then remained by his side.   
Jin couldn’t believe his eyes: Jungkook was alive, there was no injury on him and the handcuffs were gone. He trusted him, but he could never imagine that his friend was really going to smash the Fortress into tiny little grains of sand.   
\- Get out of here! – Jin shouted to the slaves. Some ran to where Jungkook was, others hesitated, but Jin kept pestering them.  
Taehyung walked towards freedom with tears in his eyes. The sun was shining brightly and he didn’t dare to look behind. The Fortress was shaking violently, threatening to crash down.

A couple of cloaked figures appeared out of nowhere. Jin and Jungkook had already hidden the slaves inside a cave in the Barren Hill, but Tae hadn’t reached them yet.  
One of the figures hit be boy with a tree branch, Taehyung fell down. Jungkook ran to him when he heard the moan of pain.  
\- Give us that. – The figure spoke with a deep voice.  
Jungkook kneeled by the boy: Tae was conscious and smiled faintly. Jungkook wiped the tears from the boy’s cheeks.  
\- I promised. – He told him.  
\- I’m sorry. – Taehyung replied.  
\- Give us that. – The figure repeated.  
Jungkook snickered and stared at it.  
\- You’re going to burn if you touch it. You’ll have to take me with you.  
\- No! – Tae tried to stand up, but his skull was hurting and there was blood on his forehead.  
The other figure hovered menacingly over them, then laughed.  
Tae instinctively touched his neck. Jumgkook saw how the dark curse was spreading around it: he was going to suffocate in a day.  
\- Take me to the Fire Mountain and I’ll give you this. – The young man showed them the seashell and the cloaked figures stepped back.  
Jin had ran close to them.  
\- Jungkook no!!! – He shouted out.  
Taehyung managed to sit himself up, he intertwined his fingers with Jungkook’s fingers.  
\- My love – he whispered – We need to be free together.  
Jungkook raised the joined hands and kissed the boy’s.  
\- We will. – He looked into Tae’s eyes with conviction. He knew what was going to happen, but that was the only way. If he gave up, Taehyung would die. His own sacrifice was the only option. He looked at Jin and at the little blind girl who was now by his friend side. Then, he helped Tae to stand up.  
Jungkook glared defiantly at the two figures in front of them.  
\- You can’t call the birds now, can you? You can’t send us curses. Because I have this. This is powerful magic from the stream.  
Jungkook dangled the seashell in the air. The figures disappeared.  
Taehyung hugged Jungkook with all his might.   
\- I won’t allow them to kill you. – He said to the boy.  
Jin and the girl approached them. The young man asked him what he had in mind, Jungkook simply smiled.  
\- We’re in this together. – Jin said.  
Jungkook shook his head.  
\- Take all of them away from here. Start a new life. You’re free now. – He told his friend.  
Jin started to protest when the little girl interrupted him:  
\- It’s the prophecy. You can’t do anything about it.  
She held Jin’s hand and nudged him to go back to the cave. Jungkook and Tae followed them. When they were a couple of metres from the entrance, Jungkook stopped, embraced Tae and kissed him on the lips. Then, he looked into his eyes to reassure him.  
\- I promised I’ll be with you forever and I will. I’ll show you the forests and the sea.   
Jungkook touched the boy’s black curls with his fingertips.  
\- I’ll live in your soul. – He added.  
He kissed him again and then disentangled himself from the embrace. Jungkook’s heart broke when he heard Tae’s wail while he was sprinting away.

The boy had fallen on his knees again, crying. The little blind girl came to his side.  
\- You’ll always hear his voice in the wind and the rain. He will talk to you. Don’t worry. – She said.  
Taehyung didn’t care for the wind nor the rain, he didn’t care for the blue sky and the warm sun upon him, he didn’t care for the green grass growing everywhere nor the wheat spigots dancing in the horizon. He only wanted darkness, death. What sense had life without him? What sense had freedom if not with him?  
Jin put a hand on the boy’ shoulder, He was devastated, but he knew that was the price one has to pay to be free.  
\- It’s unfair, I know. – He told Tae – But I would have done the same to save you and all these people. The difference is that he has the power, I don’t.  
Jin and the girl accompanied the boy to the cave. Night would soon spread its blanket over them.

The two cloaked figures were waiting for Jungkook in the Fortress. The corpses of those who couldn’t make it still on the ground.  
\- The Lords want to meet you. – One of them said.  
Jungkook nodded. He had tied the seashell to a rope and put it around his wrist. The figures gave him an scarlet robe and he wore it. He had become a Lord now.


	5. Chapter 5

He wasn’t pure, he wasn’t selfless. He was filled with rage, anger and hate. He was selfish, as he was only sacrificing himself because he wanted to save Taehyung. With the boy alive, he would live in his heart and be remembered. He was so full of self-importance.  
He wasn’t a martyr, he wasn’t a saviour. He was filled with revenge. He didn’t know why he had been chosen, he only knew he wanted to end it all. For his parents, his friends, the people in the village he was born. He was going to burn and his flames were going to turn into ashes every cloaked figure, every Lord, every bird, every rock in the Fire Mountain. He was ready.  
He knew what a powerful force his rage was. He knew the tool he was carrying contained a magic only he could ignite. He wondered if the rabid monster inside of him was the switch that would unfold destruction upon them.   
A chilling coldness was taking over his heart. He closed his eyes to see Tae’s face. The boy was smiling at him in a distant past now. His white clothes a symbol of goodness and innocence, a premonition of the light that was coming their way.  
When he opened his eyes, Jungkook only saw darkness and the red bowels of the Mountain. He had followed the cloaked figures as they had indicated him. They had been walking for hours until finally reaching the cursed place. A castle made of wood and mud was built on the slope of the volcano. Fire Mountain acted like a demon protector. Jungkook looked defiantly at it. He was going to rip it open and he was going to be swallowed by it alongside all the evilness living there.  
They entered the castle and stopped in front of what looked like a throne made of lava. Jungkook’s face showed a horrified expression when a three headed being appeared and sat on it. One was the head of a man, the other head was that of a woman and the head in the middle was a reptile. The body of the being was covered by layers of scarlet robes like the one he was wearing, so Jungkook couldn’t see whether it was a human or an animal.  
\- Bow to the Lords. – One of the cloaked figures ordered. Jungkook obeyed.  
\- Let us see what you have with you, Jeon Jungkook. – The being spoke with both a male and female voice and sizzled afterwards.  
Jungkook untied the seashell from his wrist and dangled it in front of the being. He was scared for the first time. He didn’t expect that. The Lords was a monster he could had never imagined. No one had ever seen them, only the cloaked figures and birds.  
\- Let’s make a deal. – The two voices and the sizzling said – We’ll cure your friend of the black curse and we’ll let him and your bird-killing friend free in exchange for that object.  
Jungkook shook his head.  
\- What about the others? The little blind girl?  
The Lords stared at him. Jungkook felt a chill down his spine. The human eyes were green while the reptile ones were yellow.  
\- If you agree to stay here and become one of them – the Lords pointed at the cloaked figures – We’ll grant your wish.  
Jungkook thought about it for a moment. They would live in freedom, he would continue living like a slave. But maybe, he could get out of it and return to Tae one day if he accepted the deal.

Taehyung’s eyes were open under the flame of a torch they had placed inside the cave. Everybody was sleeping except him. He couldn’t sleep, he was waiting for the black curse to finish him off. He didn’t want to keep living if Jungkook was dead.  
The little blind girl woke up startled.  
\- No! – She gasped.  
She held Tae’s hand in his small hands.  
\- Jungkook is being tempted. He’s having doubts. – She said. – Everything he’s been fighting for will mean nothing. They will turn him into one of them.  
Tae let go of the girl’s hands and got up. He walked outside of the cave. The sky was full of stars, a gentle breeze was blowing. The air smelled of something fresh, pleasant. He realised he had never felt so much pleasure in his life. He realised it was the first time he was seeing such a starry night and perceiving the scents of nature. He remembered Jungkook’s words: “I want you to see the forests and the sea. I want you to inhale the perfumes of the flowers and the grass.”   
Tae brought his hands to his face and cried. It was the end either way. Tae was going to be saved while Jungkook was going to die or become one of those evil creatures.  
\- You’ll live in my soul. – He whispered to the night. – I’m seeing lights in the sky and they’re like the light that shines in your eyes, my love. I’m hearing sounds of the near forest and it’s like hearing your voice when you used to sing. You’ll live in my soul.  
The boy kept crying until tiredness took over him. He curled on the ground and fell asleep under the starlit firmament.

Taehyung’s voice reached Jungkook, he flinched and moaned in pain. Was he really going to fall for the promises of the Lords? Anger gathered in his stomach, hate started dripping from his pores. His eyes filled with rage when he looked at the Lords. The switch was on.  
\- Never! – He spouted out. He grabbed the seashell with both hands and shouted: - Bring the pain!  
All the pain and sorrow he had ever experienced as well as the pain of his ancestors exploded in him. The volcano erupted, the Fire Mountain’s bowels opened and spat out tongues of fire. Sparks flew around falling on the cloaked figures and turning them into puddles of ashes. The castle was burning, melting. The being called the Lords was laughing. It reached out to him with skeletical fingers, gripped his robe and screeched horribly while it was set on fire. Jungkook noticed his own clothes burning, the heat scratching his skin, the smoke filling his lungs. He was still grabbing the seashell tight when he fell engulfed by flames. He didn’t feel anything, his senses were numb. The last thing he saw before stopping breathing was Tae: the boy was giggling, happy, laying in a field of daisies.

Jin woke Tae up. He had felt the ground shake during the night, had heard the explosions of the eruption and had seen the red flames in the horizon. It was over.  
\- We’re free. – He told him. – Let’s go to new pastures.  
Taehyung smiled faintly and nodded. He put a hand on his heart and closed his eyes. He could feel Jungkook there. The black curse on his neck was gone, the other sick people was cured as well. Jin announced that they would do a celebration once they reached the river and had access to food and clean water. They all cheered.  
The little blind girl walked by Tae and promised hm she was going to take care of him. Tae laughed. He was feeling the most heavy sadness, but he was going to keep living for Jungkook.  
\- I’ll be fine. – He told the girl – Because I know he is fine.


	6. Chapter 6

Peace was a calm lake of crystalline water, a burbling stream cleaning one’s body and soul off the sorrows and struggles, a myriad birds’ chants in the air, the rays of sun embracing the tree tops. Peace was something one acquired after death. Jungkook smiled and let the water of the stream fall over him, the cold droplets freezing him but also invigorating him. He couldn’t have imagined that the afterlife was like that. All his injuries, both physical and emotional, had disappeared, there was calmness in his mind and only love in his heart.  
All of a sudden, a familiar voice penetrated his senses and made him open his eyes. The Juhseung Saja was on the shore snickering at him.  
\- He thinks he’s dead. – He told to the image of a young, regal man surrounded by animals.  
\- You’re alive, Jeon Jungkook. – The genie of his dream told him – You’ve been brought back to the stream to purify your soul and heal your body. You can now walk free and look for what managed to keep you living.  
Jungkook stepped into the lake to get near the two figures.  
\- But the prophecy said I was going to perish, I did burn with them.  
\- Prophecies can be misleading. – The Juhseung Saja replied.  
The genie laughed.  
\- Your golden thread is powerful, not even fire can break it. You did as promised, your braveness is being rewarded.   
Jungkook got out of the lake. The sky was blue, nature was brimming with life.  
\- They have gone to the East, have settled under the proteccion of the Limestone Hill. – The genie continued - They are harvesting and farming there.  
Jungkook nodded.  
\- Has he already seen the sea?   
The genie looked affectionately at the young man.  
\- He hasn’t. He’s waiting for you to show him.  
The Saja rolled his eyes.  
Jungkook dried himself under the heat of the sun and started to collect fruits and vegetables for his way back. Before saying goodbye to the two supernatural beings, he asked:  
\- Will the Lords appear again? Or something similar?  
The genie shrugged his shoulders.  
\- As long as there’s balance, you have nothing to worry about. – He replied.  
\- Light needs darkness, day needs night, good needs evil, life needs death. – The Saja added. – When one surpasses the other, it’s when things go wrong.  
Jungkook understood, bowed to them and proceeded with his march.

It had been three months since the events that had tore Jungkook from them. Jin had gone from killing birds to raise them for their eggs. Taehyung had become a sort of architect planning the animal ranchs and the shacks that were going to be their homes, the little blind girl was his assistant decorator. She perceived the textures and smells better than anyone so she was perfect for that.  
Tae hadn’t heard Jungkook’s voice since then, but, for some reason, he felt joyful and hopeful, like a dawn on a sea he hadn’t never observed. The mere presence of nature surrounding him was enough, it was more than what Jungkook had promised him. The small animals, the insects, the plants, the flowers, the rain, the full moon and the wind were the greatest gifts from his lover.   
Then, one morning, he heard it. Jungkook’s laughter was as resounding as the rattling on the Fortress wall had been. He ran to the base of the Limsetone Hill because the sound was coming from there, but he could only find a flock of white birds overflying.

The Limestone Hill was like an big rock left there by mistake. His brown colour and naked surface contrasted with the greenery and fullness of the woods flanking it. It had been a long time since Jungkook had seen nature so weird. A couple of pools of water and plenty of luscious vegetation, wide trunked trees, multicoloured bouquets, moss, mushrooms, rabbits, honey bees and butterflies. Jungkook understood perfectly well why they had chosen that place to stay.  
A flock of white birds flew over his head, squawking. Jungkook felt such happiness that he started to laugh out loud.  
\- Taehyung! – He shouted out in his excitement.

The boy was about to return to his shack when he heard Jungkook’s voice calling his name. He turned around and saw the white shirt, the beige trousers, the boots, the dark hair shining under the light of the sun. He didn’t have any doubt, any question, he ran to him with tears in his eyes. Jungkook saw him appear and simply opened his arms to receive him. They embraced, giggled, cried, kissed. Jungkook lifted the boy up in the air, sniffed his hair, moved the black curls out of Tae’s eyes, he wanted to gaze deep into them. The boy didn’t need any explanation: Jungkook was back and that was the only thing that mattered to him.  
\- It’s because of you, my love. – Jungkook told him. – I saved you all, but you saved me.  
They remained embraced for a while and finally walked together to the little village they were building.  
The cheers and applause thundered all over the woods and echoed on the Limestone Hill. The little bling girl couldn’t help to jump around yelling: - I knew it!   
Jin cried and then punched Jungkook on the arm while telling him: - Don’t you dare do this to me again.

Balance had been restored. From the pain and the love, another world was being born. One in which humans and magic would live together in harmony.

EPILOGUE.

Taehyung looked in front of him, then behind, where Jungkook was standing, to look to the front again.  
\- It’s welcoming? – He asked.  
\- Most times. But it can be scary and monstrous when it gets mad. – Jungkook replied.  
\- Why would such a powerful and beautiful being get mad?  
The boy’s eyes were fixed on the blue surface sparkling by the touch of the morning rays. The white foam at the edges of the waves reaching his feet on the shore.  
Jungkook hugged him from behind.  
\- Because balance is needed. There’s no calm sea if there is no storm.  
Tae nodded and dipped one foot in the water. He was mesmerised by the scent, the sounds, the vast blueness.   
\- I was born captive, now I’m free and seeing the sea for the first time. All thanks to you.  
\- There’s no freedom if there’s no captivity. – Jungkook stated.  
\- There’s nothing if there’s no love. – Taehyung added.  
Jungkook agreed and both held hands and presented their respects to the big blue sea.   
When the village under Limestone Hill would be completely built, the two young men would move to a little house by the sea. They would be the new guardians of the balance in the Universe.

THE END.


End file.
